Are you entitled to Eurostar compensation?

There's been a weekend of complete mayhem at the Channel Tunnel, which means a lot of people are looking at getting some compensation from Eurostar.

As you'll be aware, the chunnel was closed for most of Saturday because of a fire and then it was locked down again on Sunday because of an unrelated electrical fault. Today, there's only one of the two tunnels open, which means more delays and headaches for passengers.

It is hoped that the Channel Tunnel will be back to full speed tomorrow, but after this weekend, no-one should hold their breath.

The amount of passengers inconvenienced over the weekend are in advance of 12,000, which is a lot of compensation needing to be paid out. On Saturday, Eurostar cancelled 26 of their services.

The cancellations were a result of a lorry which was on fire (or more accurately, it was ""smouldering", which meant two CO2 detectors went off and everything had to be shut down. Then, once that was put out, "residue smoke" had to be cleared, meaning further delays. Then, when it looked like things were getting sorted, there was a problem with a power supply which meant more hair being torn out in frustration.

So what happens now?

Well, if you're planning to travel on Eurostar, they've said that they're planning to run a full service, albeit with delays, so you should check-in as normal, but expect to spend some time sat around and tutting.

"As Eurotunnel will not be completely operational Eurostar services may be subject to delays of up to about 30 minutes,” the company said. "If you were scheduled to travel on Saturday or Sunday and wish to change your plans and were impacted by the tunnel closure, you can exchange your ticket free of charge, within the next 60 days to travel anytime within the next 120 days, or apply for a refund."

If you're wanting to complain, then there are long waits on the Eurostar telephone services. You can try ringing them - 03432 186186, 9am-5pm Mon-Fri - or, if you prefer, you can email them [email protected] and include the details of what happened as well as your six-letter booking reference.

Eurostar's website says that they have a "generous compensation policy" for passengers who have been affected by delays so if all of the above switches you off, they have an online form to help you get your money back.

And now, instead of some hold music, here's a man being run over by a moped outside London's St Pancras, live on the telly. Both are fine.